In Our World
by sirens call universe
Summary: Basically a one-shot of a young Cousland and Tabris experiencing the prejudice between the elves and humans in the Dragon Age Universe. Papa Cyrion teaching his son some valuable lessons


**An:Hello! This is just a one-shot featuring a young Cousland and Tabris in Denerim. Enjoy!**

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The city elves in Denerim seethed in anger at the humans treatment of their kind. They were beaten and abused on a daily basis and the humans had the audacity to say they see them as equals was complete and utter horsecrap! They used that phrase of "equality" to make themselves feel better,but they knew nothing of what the word meant.

Now that they had a small human girl in their clutches, they would show her the respect their children received from her kind. Cyrion Tabris' son, Duncan, brought a noble human girl into their Denerim Alienage. Duncan was battered with a large bruise on his head, while the small girl had a bandage wrapped around her head.

The elves blood boiled. _Had Cyrion forgotten what those shems did to his wife?_ _That his son is forced to live his life without his mother?_ It appeared to them that the man had lost his mind. Clearly he did not realize that that girl had everything handed to her because of her noble birth. She never had to struggle to find food and to earn a living like their children did. She knew nothing of their suffering.

These people had enough. They were going to give these humans a taste of their own medicine. The entire Alienage formed a mob outside of Cyrion's house to get the girl.

The blonde haired man peeked outside his door to see the elven people glaring at him. They threw rotten fruit at him and yelled things like "traitor" or "shem lover". Cyrion looked back at the frighten children huddled in the corner of the small home. The girl hugged his son tightly while tear stained her cheeks. He closed the door promptly and locked before any of their unwanted guests could get any ideas. Cyrion went over to the children and knelt down to their height.

He looked at his freckled faced son in the eye, "Duncan, I want you to stay here with Lorraine, and keep her safe. I am going to try and get them to leave. Whatever you hear, you do not open that door until I tell you to. Do you understand me, Duncan Tabris?" Cyrion said sternly.

Duncan looked at his father with concern, "They want to hurt you, Papa. I won't let them." Duncan argued.

Cyrion shook his head, "No, you will not do anything. You are to stay here with Lorraine, and watch after her. If they find her, they'll do more than hurt her, Duncan,"

Lorraine rose from where she sat and looked up at Cyrion, "I don't want you to get hurt because of me. Just give me to them, and you and Duncan will be safe," Lorraine responded.

Cyrion smiled faintly...a human with a conscience. They were very few, even fewer that were noble born. He supposed that Lorraine Cousland was different. She didn't treat him nor his son any differently than she treated her own kin. She respected them for the people they were, not the shape of their ears. She was something special.

Cyrion held her by the shoulders and spoke, "Allowing them to hurt you makes us no better than the humans that killed my wife. Fighting prejudice with more prejudice doesn't make anything better. It makes it worse. Harming an innocent child won't make our world any better. It will only make us the very thing we despise," Cyrion explained to the moist eyed girl.

Lorraine wrapped her small arms around Cyrion. The man embraced her before placing her in the corner with his son once more. When the children were calm he reminded them once more of what to do.

"Remember: no matter what, do not open this door until I say so. If they manage to get in you two run as fast as you can away from here," he said before opening the door to the angry mob.

He waved to them and smiled as he usually did. He stood in front of his door with his hands in his pockets. If they wanted to get to the children, they would have to go through him first."Good evening everyone. What brings you all here, this fine day?" he asked.

A red headed man pushed his way to the front of the crowd and pointed the pitchfork he held in his hands toward Cyrion's chest, "You know why we're here, Tabris. Give us the girl, and we'll let you and your son go." the man commanded.

Cyrion cleared his throat and coughed. He walked toward the man and pointed the pitchfork away from his body, "I'm afraid I can't do that," Cyrion replied.

The red head glared at him, "I always took you for a shem lover. Boys, lets convince him to reason with us,"

Three or four men held Cyrion by his arms while the man beat him. He took punches in the face, stomach, and ribs, but he refused to open the door. Cyrion felt the wind get knocked out him and blood trickle down from his nose. He was surprised he hadn't blacked out yet considering the force of the punches being thrown at him. It was the will to protect those children that kept him going despite all the pain he was experiencing.

"Had enough yet?"

Cyrion chuckled and spat blood that was in his mouth onto the floor," I'm just getting started," he slurred.

"You sure have the nerve, Tabris,"

Suddenly his door flew open and Duncan tackled the man beating his father. Cyrion fell to floor but the sight of his child putting himself in danger gave him the energy to get up and find him. The man that had beaten Cyrion was holding Duncan by the neck to the floor. Cyrion pulled his son away from the man. The beater rose angrily and held a club above his head ready to strike down at the two. Cyrion put his son behind him to cover him from the hit.

However, that was all interrupted by small girl's shout, "Stop it!, " Lorraine screeched. She ran over to where Cyrion and Duncan lay and position herself in front of them...she was protecting them. Tears trailed down her face, not in fear, but in anger at the situation she found herself in, "If you want to hit someone, you hit me! Not them! They don't deserve to get hit!" she yelled at the red headed man.

The man grabbed her by her brown hair and shook her roughly. Lorraine cried out in pain, and her cries is what made Duncan go and help her. He held her by the hand and pulled with all the strength his twelve-year old body could muster away from her attacker. He would never let.

"Leave her alone! Don't you see she is the only human who sees as people! " Duncan yelled angrily.

"She is just like the rest! Cruel like all the others,"

Duncan grabbed a club from the floor and swung hard at the man's face, knocking him backwards, which in turn made him release Lorraine. Duncan held the eight year old girl in his arms and smiled tenderly at her. he wouldn't let anyone hurt her again. He turned toward the stunned elves, and stared at them with determination in his eyes.

"We live in a world where humans abuse us for their own pleasure. They rape and murder our kin, but we always get up. They don't see us as people...but Lorraine does. She defended me from humans when she didn't even know me. She took a hit straight to her head that opened wide and bled. She cleaned and nursed my wounds before she looked at herself. When I asked her why she would risk her life for an elf she told me, "Because I was a living breathing person and I was no different from her.' Hurting her won't solve any of the wrongs done to us. And if you hurt her, you are any better than the humans that beat abuse us everyday." Duncan explained.

Silence fell upon the mob. They held moist eyes and fire in their souls. They gathered around Cyrion's house to teach the humans a lesson...now they were questioning the morality of their choice. They wanted to hurt her so badly, but they couldn't bring themselves to do it. A woman glared at Cyrion and his child with tears in her eyes.

"Just...have her gone by the end of tomorrow. This doesn't change anything,"

And with that the crowd dispersed. Cyrion breathed a sigh of relief. He took the children back inside and locked the door before any of their guests changed their mind. Duncan had placed Lorraine on his bed where she slept soundly after the day's event. Although Cyrion was weary and injured, he pat his son on his shoulder. He couldn't have been any more proud of his son. Cyrion left to tend to his wounds,but when he returned he found Duncan still by Lorraine's side.

Duncan held Lorraine's hand until he knew she was asleep. Even after he stayed by her side protecting her from anyone who wanted to harm her. Cyrion lay his hand on his son's shoulder and motioned with his head for the boy to sit with him at the table. Duncan left Lorraine's side reluctantly before taking a seat by his father.

He smiled at his son."You did it. You're a hero my boy. I'm so proud of you." he said.

Duncan laughed before looking back at Lorraine's sleeping form, "She and I...we're not so different."

Cyrion smirked, "She's something special. Doesn't let thing happen, she shapes the world around her. Doesn't take no for an answer,"

Duncan with grin plastered all over his face,"I'm going to marry her some day, Papa,"

Cyrion looked at his son with confusion. He was too young to be thinking of marriage. "What makes you say that? What makes you think she'll even agree?" he asked.

Duncan shrugged," Something in my gut tells me that one day she'll be my wife."

"You have a long way until then, my boy...a long way. Until just be glad you met someone like her. You only meet someone like her once in a lifetime, especially in times like these."

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**An:so I got super inspired to write this after watching Hayao Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke for like the fifteenth(which is the bomb and I would totally recommend watching it). It was the scene when Osa defends Lady Eboshi by saying, "She was the only one who saw us as humans..." that got the wheels turning. I felt that in a way it kinda resonated with prejudice in the Dragon Age world. Lorraine Cousland was the only noble to treat Duncan like a person just how Lady Eboshi treated the people of Irontown despite society's view of them. **

**Anyway that was just my little tibit. As always reviews are welcome, but even if you choose not to review the fact people read my work makes my day. So thank you for reading!**


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